Improvement in projectiles for ordnance



UNITED 'raras 'PATENT J. M. CURRIE, OF WASHINGTON, IOWA.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 58,783, dated October16, 1866.

ingdrawings, making part of this speeiiication, and to the letters otreference marked thereon,like letters indicating like parts Whereverthey occur.

To enable others skilled in the art to con- I "struct and use theinvention, I will proceed to describe it.v

i Figure l represents a side elevation, with a portion shown in section,to show the form' of the projectile and the packing. Fig. 24is atransverse section, taken on the line .rx of Fig. l.

My invention relates to elongated projectiles intended t'or use inrilied ordnance.

ln the drawings, A represents the projec tile, which may be made ot'cast-iron. I make this projectile with a conical point, as representedin Fig. l, and at a point about onethird ot' its length from the frontend I begin to decrease it in diameter, continuing the decrease towardthe rear end for about one-third ot' its entire lengtlnwhen it is againincreased in size, as shown in Fig. l. By this means I provide a cavityor recess around its central portion for the reception ot apacking-ring, B, of soft metal.

From the rear end ot" the packing the projectile extends back to apoint, the rear end thus forming acone, as shown.

In the cavity formed around the centi-al portion of the projectile Icasta ring of lead, as represented by B, the rear end ot which projectslaterally beyond the sides of the body A, this packing-ring B forming abearingsur face extending from a to e.

It will be observed that the surface of the body A Where the packing istted upon it forms an incline, up which the packing B will be driven bythe force of the gas acting against its rear shoulder, a, and that bythis means the ring B will be expanded laterally, and thus forced intothe grooves of the gun.

By thus forcing the ring B up the incline it will be expanded equallyfrom front to rear, and thus the projectile will have a firm bearingalong its entire cylindrical portion, by which means it will occupy acorrect position in the bore oi? the gun, the axis of the projectile andthat of the bore thus being made to coincide perfectly, and insuring itsaccurate passage along the bore and from the muzzle of the gun.

It' in practice lead is found to upset at the rear,instead of driving npthe iueline,an alloy otflead and harder metal may be used Ato torm thepackingrin g B.

One or more grooves, c, are formed along the surface ot' the inclinedportion otl A, as shown in Fig. 2, in which the lead or other metalforming the packing-ring will engage,

and thus prevent the ring from becoming loose upon the projectile as thelatter rotates in its iiight.

As the rear portion of the recess is the deepA est, the shoulder-in rearof the recess will prevent the packing from slipping 0E at the rear,even if it becomes loose by being driven up the incline.

By these means I produce a projectile for ritled ordnance which has atrue bearin g along its entire cylindrical portion, which will take theriiiing with regularity, evenness, and certainty, and which, Whilehaving a conical point, may be made solid and stillhave its ecnter ot'gravity in front of its center ot' length.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is- The projectile A,with the conical point. and tapering rear, having the packing-ring B applied as shown and described.

J. M. GURRIE.

Witnesses:

P. T. Do-DGE,

L. L. BOND.

